A Friendship Formed
by Draconicality
Summary: How a girl found her lifelong companion. How they formed their true bond. How they were destined to one day, meet their ultimate dream.
1. Shousha is found

Nikoru filled in her information form, pausing every few seconds to glance excitedly out of the windows, where the bright, shop-lined streets awaited.  
  
She'd been hearing about Neopia from her friends for over a month. Her schoolmate, Abby, had tried to persuade her to come time and time again.  
  
Abi-chan's efforts had paid off, and both of them were much happier for it.  
  
Finishing with the form, she handed it to the cheerful Zafara at the counter, then hurried through the gates, pausing only to drop her registration code slip into the huge box that stood outside the gates, claiming the bag of Neopoints that dropped out of a side panel as a result.  
  
Abby was waiting for her, waving and grinning like mad as Nikki walked over.  
  
"He, didn't take you too long, did it? Zaph nice to you? She is to everyone; I like her for it." Abby pulled Niki through the street, the smaller, ponytail-haired girl protesting loudly.  
  
"Oi, oi, Abi-chan! Where are we in such a hurry to?"  
  
"To get your first pet, of course!" replied Abby, as the huge Pet Center loomed up in front of them.  
  
Nikoru wasn't looking. Her eyes had been pulled towards the smaller, grim- looking place to the side of the Center. There was a lot of noise coming from inside. It sounded like…crying?  
  
"A-chan," she said quietly. "What's in there?"  
  
Abby's eyes followed Niki's to the building and gasped. "Oh! You want to go to the adoption center instead? There might be a chance of finding you a really good pet in there…  
  
"Yeah, I guess. Do a lot of people abandon pets?"  
  
Abby's face darkened slightly as entered the building and Niki saw the reason why.  
  
Two long lines stretched from a rather large front desk on the far side of the building, one side of which clearly said 'Adopt Today!' Nikoru noted unhappily that there were far more people queued up on the side with the poster that said 'Don't Disown Your Poor Neopet."  
  
"Ne, Abi-chan," she growled, half shaky, half angry at the amount of owners that abandoned their pets. "Let's take a look around here instead."  
  
As they neared the front of the line, Nikoru couldn't help but mumble a few questions about the pink Uni and yellow Techo who sat at the desk.  
  
"The Uni...most people just know her as Rosie," explained Abby. "The Techo guy, he's called Dr. Death, but I don't think that's his real name. And if he looks like a mean old grump, so would anyone who had a job like that."  
  
"Yeah," muttered Niki quietly. "Have you ever been here to abandon?"  
  
Abby flashed her an outraged glare. "You've gotta be joking, 'Koru-chan! I've only been here to adopt before, as you very well know…"  
  
They finally reached the front of the line, Rosie handing Nikoru a form to fill out, while Abby looked on patiently.  
  
"Naaaiiii…!"  
  
Niki glanced quickly to the other line and stiffened. A very small, blue Shoyru and its owner were in the Abandonment line, and as the boy cursed, trying to free himself, the little creature wailed, clinging to his legs.  
  
"Get offa me, you damn stupid-!"  
  
He managed to free his other foot long enough to stomp heavily on the Shoyru's tail. The poor Neopet squealed, and the boy grabbed it, prying it off his leg. He was just about to hand it off to the Techo, when-  
  
"HOLD IT!" Nikoru strode angrily over, pulling the abused little creature from its surprised owner's hands and stroking it gently. "How dare you mistreat this Neopet! And abandon it, at it's age!" She complemented her angry outburst with some choice insults that left a very angry teenage boy.  
  
"Ch'. If you want that stupid runt so much, then sure, take it. Damn crybaby's a loser in the Battledome anyway." He spat on the ground, then turned to walk away.  
  
Dr. Death, who looked a heck of a lot madder than before, seemed about to call the cruel teen back, but Niki stopped him, shaking her head. "No. If it's the abandonment fee you're worried about, I would be glad to pay, as well as the adoption fee." She counted up her cash, and offered it to the Uni, who shook her head.  
  
"We will only take the adoption fee, if you please. You have already shown us something more valuable than any amount of neopoints could," croaked Dr. Death.  
  
"Arigatou…thank you very much!" smiled Nikoru, soothing the battered baby Shoyru while Abby counted out money and filled in the forms needed.  
  
"Ai!" exclaimed Abby as she checked the papers the young man had filled out. "He has no name listed?"  
  
The red Uni frowned angrily. "That young man…does not bother to give names to the pets he thinks are 'worthless.' This is the fifth time he's been here to abandon." She gave a weary sigh.  
  
"I'll give him a name, then," whispered Niki, as she scooped the tiny form into her arms. "His name is… Shousha."  
  
"Winner," breathed Abby as they made their way to the Housing building, in order to get a Neohome application. She glanced at Nikoru's new Neopet, which had decided to curl on her head once his tail had stopped hurting. "You named him Shousha, which means winner. Why?"  
  
Niki's eyes were bright as she turned to her friend. "That boy called him a loser. But he'll be a winner. I can feel it!"  
  
Abby nodded wordlessly, proudly, and the two friends and their companion continued on their way, all of them completely happy. 


	2. Whoa! What a rich girl Abi-chan is! ^_^

"Woah!  It's huge!"  Nikoru yelled, as soon as Abby's Neohome (where they would be staying until Niki's application was considered) came into view.

"I've spent months of construction and NPs on the thing, and we all love it."  Abi-chan's voice held a note of pride.

"Are your pets there?"

Nikoru got her answer as she opened the door, allowing Jadejei the Fire Lupe to knock both of them to the ground with a howl of welcome.  Inside the room, Nyasesui the Desert Aisha stretched and sauntered lazily over, Egyptian trinkets clinking as she purred "Welcome back, Abi-chan.  Who have you brought here today?"

Farther back, in the kitchen, Mareu, Abi-chan's constantly ravenous Faerie Cybunny stopped stuffing his mouth with a cookie and bounded into the lounge, leaping on top of Abby's chest with a shout of "HEY, GUYS!"

"Hey, you four rascals, I'm glad to see ya!" said Abby happily as she rubbed behind Nyase's ear.  "You remember the Nikoru-chan I was forever telling you about?"

Nikoru looked up from her half-sitting position on the floor, with a slightly dazed "Hi."

The three pets crowded around and helped her to her feet, leading her to sit on the sofa – a Kauvara sofa to be exact.

And through it all, Shousha had awoken, his huge eyes swelling to their widest as he beheld the three Neopets in front of him.  He squeaked and immediately jumped onto Jadejei's back, balancing precariously and giggling.  Nikoru managed to catch him before he fell.  "Hey, be careful, will ya, Shou?"

Abby, ever the gracious hostess, helped Nikoru get her bags to the guest room.  Less than five minutes later, Mantasiulle (Abby's Starry Peophin) called "Dinner!"

The meal was a happy affair, the food was good, and everyone was content.  Nyasesui's comment that Shousha ate more than Mareu and Mantasiulle combined was taken in good stead by everyone at the table.

And then, it was time for bed.

A few minutes after the lights in the house had gone out, Abby was still talking to her best friend as they discussed Nikoru's plans for the next day.

"Koru-chan, since you're getting your neohome tomorrow, why not get some food and furniture first?"

  
"Hmm…Yeah, sounds like a good idea.  I'll head off to the games early tomorrow, ne?"

"Hai, it's a good idea to have more than just 250 neopoints, 'Koru.  Try the Meerca Chase and Pterattack games tomorrow…you seemed pretty good at that kind of thing back on Earth."

"Hai, hai.  I'll try my luck and be back in time for lunch.  Then it's off to see the new neohome…how did you get such grand NPs, anyway?  Enough to have this?"

"Let's just say it takes time, patience and a lot of luck."  Abby smiled and got up from the bed.  "Oyasumi nasai, Nikoru."

"Oyasumi nasai."

The door closed, and after a few minutes of peaceful thinking – what kind of furniture, what food to buy, whether her new pet – she glanced fondly at Shousha, napping soundly on her pillow, next to her head – would like her ideas.

Then she slipped of into sleep, laced with tantalizing dreams of her future in Neopia.

*******

A/N: Maybe you're questioning my use of Japanese terms in this ficcy.  Well, I am not Japanese myself. It just seems to fit so well, and besides, Shousha fits! ^_^ I'll have the next chapter up soon!  Goddnight all!


End file.
